SCCA Western Conference Racers Take Advantage of Cool Temps and Dry Track
Portland, Oregon. (July 2, 2016) – Fourth of July weekend in Portland can bring any kind of weather. At the final weekend of the SCCA Western Conference Majors Tour, Friday’s practice and qualifying sessions took place under sunny skies with temperatures in the high 80s. Then Saturday morning’s second round of qualifying took place under mostly cloudy skies with cool breezes – perfect weather for fast times on Portland International Raceway’s long straights and sweeping curves.
Over 90 drivers came to Portland this weekend in search of both Conference championships and the final points necessary to qualify for the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, Presented by Garmin VIRB. Portland International Raceway is a city-owned facility located within the City of Portland, and comprises 12 turns spread over the 1.97-mile course. Oregon Region of SCCA’s Western Conference is the event host.
The first race was Spec Racer Ford and Spec Racer Ford Gen3. SRF3’s John Black qualified on pole, with Patrick Byrne outside. Todd Harris rounded out the top three. Black, Harris and Byrne traded the lead several times, but it was Black in the lead at the checker followed by Harris and Byrne.
“I got ahead and just drove a defensive line for the last couple of laps,” Black said.
For the second race of the day, the small-bore production cars of E Production, F Production, H Production, GT-Lite and Touring 3 made up a full field. Perennial contender Aaron Downey took EP honors in a Mazda RX-3, while Tom Tuttle claimed the FP win in a Huffaker MG Midget. The HP victory went to Jason Isley in a Toyota Yaris.
Race Group 5 took the track under warming, mid-afternoon conditions. While traction was an issue, the fast formula and sports racing cars of the Prototype 1, Prototype 2, Formula 1000 and Formula Continental raced cleanly. Miles Jackson took the overall and P1 victory in his Wolf GB08M. David Ferguson claimed P2 honors. Larry Vollum won Formula 1000, and Steve Litsky took Formula Continental.
The final races of the SCCA Western Conference Majors Tour happen on Sunday with each of the seven groups racing one more time. Racing begins at 9:40 AM following a brief morning warm-up session for each group.
More information on SCCA Majors Tour events can be found at SCCA.com.
PORTLAND, Oregon – Provisional Results from Saturday's Western Conference Majors Tour Round Eleven from Portland International Raceway, with Class: Name, Hometown and Car.
B-Spec: Kyle Keenan, Vancouver, Wash., Kia Rio
E Production: Aaron Downey, Rossmoor, Calif., Mazda RX-3
F Production: Tom Tuttle, Windsor, Calif., MG Midget
H Production: Jason Isley, Coto de Caza, Calif., Toyota Yaris
Formula B: Larry Vollum, Portland, Ore., Phoenix MV14
Formula Continental: Steve Litsky, University Place, Wash., Van Diemen RF-94
Formula F: Ed Erlandson, Burbank, Calif., Swift DB6
Formula Vee: Dennis Andrade, Silverlake, Wash., Vortech
GT-Lite: Lans Stout, Cornelius, Ore., Nissan Sentra
Prototype 1: Miles Jackson, Seattle, Wash., Wolf
Prototype 2: David Ferguson, Paso Robles, Calif., Van Diemen Mazda
Super Touring Lite: David Vodden, Willows, Calif., Mazda Miata
Spec Racer Ford Gen 3: John Black, Olympic Valley, Calif., Spec Racer Ford 3
Spec Racer Ford: JD Barnum, Gladstone, Ore., Spec Racer Ford
Touring 2: Guy Dreier, Indian Wells, Calif., Ford Mustang
Touring 3: Lansing Stout, Jr., Corvallis, Ore., Nissan 350Z
Touring 4: Scotty B. White, Auburn, Wash., Ford Mustang
Photo: John Black leads the Spec Racer Ford field to the green flag to kick off the final rounds of the SCCA Western Conference Majors Tour
Credit: Jeff Zurschmeide
(For a web-resolution sized image, right click and "save as")
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